PerkinElmer Acquires JN Macri Technologies and NTD Labs

Photonics.comJul 2006
BOSTON, July 27, 2006 -- Health science and photonics technology developer PerkinElmer Inc. announced today it has completed the acquisition of JN Macri Technologies LLC and that it has acquired NTD Laboratories Inc., based in Huntington Station, N.Y. The purchase price for both transactions was approximately $56.65 million.

Macri holds and licenses global patents related to free beta human chorionic gonadotropin (free beta-hCG), a peptide hormone produced in the early stage of pregnancy that is widely recognized as a critical biomarker for first-trimester prenatal risk assessment. NTD is a reference laboratory specializing in prenatal risk assessment. It offers laboratory developed and validated testing under the brand name UltraScreen, of which free beta-hCG is a vital component.

PerkinElmer said in a statement that the agreement builds on recent announcements related to its screening and diagnostics strategies. These include a global licensing agreement to develop assay kits for the ADAM12 biochemical marker, which has broad potential in maternal health screening for fetal chromosomal abnormalities; and the securing of global rights for PP13 (placental protein 13), a new prospective biomarker for identifying patients at risk for pre-eclampsia in the first trimester. The technology covered under the agreement also includes software that utilizes free hCGa measurements to calculate the risk of a fetus having chromosomal abnormalities.

"This acquisition provides an opportunity to strengthen our position with clinicians and our existing laboratory partners as a result of NTD's strong and established relationships with maternal health care providers," said Robert F. Friel, president, PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences. "We expect this agreement will accelerate PerkinElmer's own maternal health research and development initiatives, by giving us the ability to better understand first-hand the needs of the clinical community. Our future plans include the introduction of the free beta-hCG biomarker, which is used throughout Europe, on PerkinElmer's proprietary platforms, further extending our maternal health solutions."

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